oa Se 


SS. 


ee 


= ee ne pe 


SE SF LIE SO ORO 


THE UNIVERSITY 
OF ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


OG. | 
HZop 


Return this book on or before the 
Latest Date stamped below. A 
charge is made on all overdue 
books. 


U. of I. Library 


14685-S 


eb 


- 


+ 


VHT 


r 
x 
t 
‘ 
i 
t 
: 
V 


4: bite ue 


My 


Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2023 with funding from 
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/passinginreviewbOOhart 


PASSING IN REVIEW 


COPYRIGHT 1925 


HART MIRROR PLATE COMPANY 
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 


CW RKRKRrye 


\ 


. Hart 
1916 


Joseph S 


1858— 


SS 


Vill 


pont nd 


- pe PE a ‘y 4 
‘ me 4 gee Sag iy 
- Se ee 


ot 


ine fn. 3 as ; 
ee 4 2s Ps Zz é - « . * Q xa 
- es “3 oN z ‘ ee 
— - a, es Sar 
- ee - :. na ss - =! 
oe “ e 7 a iin, hae eae 
~— i ba d : : os ial ; 
z Pee ; Lt. Dae 
eat Eo aS 
a of 7, re 
ae nae d ; ae ara - i 


4 


‘UHIVE 


ies - 7 ¢, a al S 
phe se ee oi melt SR cont nt.” « 
ae “ J . 
tlre “ - 
ge Ep ge BSS .-* - ‘ 
. Co a ~ > ~ . 
oP ~ aa “ - 
Se . z = J 
ad oO w L 4 i? mall 
ee - ~~ 4 walt 


. 
\? 
\ 
\ 
+ 


_ 
a) 
<t 
4 
“>. 
3° 
¥. 
' 


a 
te 


he 


ae 
De: 
J, 
AN decks 
ce 
(a 
' 
by 
{ 
. 
4 
. 
P 
] 
+ 
. 
; 
. 
. 
4 . 
. 
' 
’ 
| 
f 
s 


ag =. ~ 
* > - ms ' 
Se poe ee c. 7 : . 
ale > ° i a an. ol > - ne = he. 
sng ee he Pit A ate Os ; "i ma - ‘ j 7 _ 
a i a y Se _ "4 % ie 
/ Y ee ee ee “ 
ara eh one ogi a ~~ a. % ns > 
a wes eee , ~ = = ~ 
ae, ee es pend ae = P - 
ee Sa tee = “ a ¥ _ 
ge ae ee - : ~ 
_~ =, 4 ee “a + . * A ) = - ' ? : 
y a i"3* we = “ an - 


* 
>. 
= 
Fa 
‘7 
+* 
+ 
i 
, 
, 
i 
: 
, 


PASSING IN REVIEW 


BEING 
A COMPENDIUM OF 


MIRROR HISTORY 
PHILOSOPHY anp 
ECONOMICS 


COMMEMORATING 
THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
HE 


HART MIRROR PLATE COMPANY 


GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 


ee shh ae ¢ bay Pate rat ie « 

PAWS RON ATEN ON AL eee Be Ur EAy DRA EDD 
PAR SS fetal TP Sig tenc hs fou Nahe 4 
SYR GN RUA See tik a ND ON San 
ba, Oa ait ae. ALT Hy) rah, HVS) aha we 


LSA 


Ad i WS Wetce tay} { 
Uh ee ay aay i) oe. 
9) Ly eee ST MM 
wie hea Valin a i ae | 
« : 7 ; ¥ ' . : i} a4 
bh , ea es Gs i \ ih 
in| nt Pits ’ , hi + , 
; 9 f é 
ae BA ce ae Ewen 
>, aie . ve Ey 
- . \ : : . 
: r] | , } 
rf i. 
} ig D ae 
we. ei » Abe Wy 
AB | i) o 
bit %o 4 ] ‘ ie ) , Ay 
i : ‘ 4 om Tht La 
{’ f us * m\ Lis a 
' BS $1 
. Te ag eb, 
; ; y 4 J ‘ 
' ) 4} { 
*i4 { 
; ' ae fi ’ . 
it, A ye) 
\ 4 
"Ny “ fy 
‘ fi 
¢ ( . | . 
4 
J | : ' 
j ; } 
+ { ' 
i] . 
5 a \ 


Wis 
40 
j 


’ 


oth Per | 
[ V4 A YA ii 
oy ; } a 6, « 
7 Ree Nae 
OLY 
| Me 


pt at 
Sf & 


The 
FIRST 
MIRROR 


' 
' 


nl ” - 
-s P 7 r 
* “ 7 
SJ - J a - 
wv - ? 
* z ” J 
e be 5 ‘ ” “ 
ms, — ~~ 
a - t 
‘ 
—— OP no _ 
~ 
e Pe -- 
> — 
, 
2 oa 


THIS EDITION 


IS LIMITED TO FIVE HUNDRED COPIES 
OF WHICH THIS COPY IS 


NO 


HART MIRROR PLATE COMPANY 
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 


a py 
i, 
= 


_=* 


> 
bd 
Y 
‘ 
us, 
% 
‘ 
- 
s 
4 
nie 


ad yi tl , ” a 
Ss r - - . 
ar se by rn ~ - a vy. 
- nA? , > “ : 2->N 
i ws oa — 7 - ; ° 7 =A" 
tee Sg » _ ~~ » a 
bs, ee a ‘Sl y% ‘ 7 "| ™ j > # ts i “ ey 
ee pee re pat ey gt Ne ae ~ : . : f ™ - - ; aE So 
re © v. ‘iS. os a “-* - = . 7 oe Yo a 
7 ; = . * , : : - - 7 —- — <«- “a 
- a 7 ne, - " 
a oe 
« a” - - 
: ed af 
‘ q 
* © 
ee aS oc » 7 - 
- ’ 
i 
- t - _ 


uot ' 
rt t 
} 4 


ay, its way to the sea. It was long ago, very 
, long ago. It was so long ago that no 
trace of the rift or the brook is now to be found. 
It was long before the primitive Aryans sought the 
desert sands of Iran, long before the white race began 
its conquest of the earth. 

On its way to the sea, the little brook tarried here 
and there, as if to rest itself, as if to ponder and reflect 
upon its course. Being made, as we lately have learned, 
of countless atoms, each with its revolving stars, the 
little drops of water gathered in deep places, in shady 
nooks, around the outskirts of the bends, or at the foot 
of some obstruction, as if to counsel with one another 
and compare observations. Over one of these pools 
had fallen a tree whose still luxuriant branches played 
in the ripples and whispered fancifully to the little 
drops of water the secrets of the mighty earth. It had 
heard from other trees and other branches that a new 
life had come into the wood—a life different from all 
that had ever lived there before. 

Presently the whispering was hushed. A melody 


Page eleven 


f ROVE wey . 
CPACT WAS. 


came into the air, a new note unlike that of the birds, 
the trump of the elephant or the roar of the saber- 
tooth tiger. 

‘Here she comes,” whispered the tree to the pool. 

And she came—a woman, brown, lithe and shapely. 
A leopard skin met the flowing gold in the hair and 
escorted it to the waist. A garland of fresh olive 
blossoms, suspended from the neck, swayed with the 
rhythm of her limbs. Her eyes were of a deep blue set 
like sapphires in two little fields of white. 

The age-old forest had seen much life. It had seen 
the woolly-haired mammoth come and go, laughed at 
the antics of the marsupials, cradled the jibbering apes 
and trembled when ferocious mastodons had battled to 
death in the deep shadows of its groves. 

But it had never seen a woman. All life seemed to 
stop and wonder as this future ruler of the earth 
paused on the shore of the playful little stream. The 
thousand voices of the forest were hushed. The cata- 
ract, at the foot of the pool, seemed as if bashful, in 
her presence, to continue its song. 

The water in the pool, awed by the beauty and the 
presence of the woman, abandoned its spirit of play- 


Page twelve 


fulness and stood still for the first time in its joyous 
life. Its surface was quiet and unruffled. No breeze 
stirred. 

The surface of the pool became the first mirror. 
It reflected the glories and the majesty of all it could 
see. Miraculously, there were now two trees where a 
moment before there had been only one. The wooded 
banks of the stream, the sky, the fleecy clouds,— 
everything was pictured in the pool. 

The girl—for she was only a girl—gazed in wonder- 
ment at the transfiguration. When she moved, another 
girl moved in the pool. When she raised her arms, the 
girl in the pool raised her arms. And when she beck- 
oned her to come ashore, the girl in the pool seemed to 
beckon her to come into the water. Presently the girl 
from the forest climbed out upon one of the branches 
of the fallen tree and reached for the image in the pool 
as if to help it ashore, but when her shapely hands 
touched the water, the girl in the pool was disturbed 
and would not heed her. Then the girl in the tree 
knew that it was a reflection of herself. 

For a long time she sat there in silent communion 
with her likeness. She fitted and refitted the olive 


Page thirteen 


blossoms around her throat and shoulders to see what 
particular frame suited her best. She moved and 
removed the leopard skin, the more to enhance the 
something within that told her she was beautiful. She 
made faces at the girl in the pool, who quickly replied 
in form. Then she smiled and learned always to seek 
the best in the image of the pool. 

Yes, that was the first mirror. Of course, this is all 
a fairy tale, but it has three morals—that the first 
mirror was a pool, a lake or a body of still water, that 
it was discovered by a woman and that ever since no 
one has been able to make a mirror tell a falsehood, 
that is, if it was a good mirror. 


* * * 


But be this fable or fact, we know that when men 
and women had learned to understand their images as 
reflected in the still waters, they also learned to improve 
upon those images. It was probably their first step in 
reflection. Seeing themselves as they were caused 
either happiness or pain. The mirror created an inner 
consciousness of beauty as contrasted with ugliness. 
It educated primitive man to a sense of comparative 


Page fourteen 


self values and gave birth to what we know as personal 
pride. It gave him a greater joy in his mate and it 
created in the woman an enduring watchfulness over 
her natural attractions. It urged her to remain young 
and helped her to recognize and resist the advance 
of age. 

The mirror and adornment have ever gone hand-in- 
hand. We do not know which came first, but we 
know that jewelry and cosmetics could find no place in 
this world were it not for the mirror. Sight is the 
most necessary, the most responsive of all our senses. 
‘Know thyself,” said Solon, thereby meaning, “mirror 
yourself as you are.” 

Hence, the mirror has been one of mankind’s most 
consistent civilizers. It has alternately kept it in check 
and urged its advancement. It is one of the most 
truthful inspirations that has ever figured in the story 
of the human race. As a rule, we know what a mirror 
is going to say. We seldom argue with it. 

The mirror is and always has been a teacher. It 
teaches us care and caution and keeps us ever trying 
for a better and a more pleasing presentation of our- 
selves. It is a mentor that checks our mistakes. We 


Paze fifteen 


ask its opinions every morning of our lives and several 
times during the day. Fancy a life without a mirror! 

To heed the mirror is to live longer. Oftentimes 
the mirror warns us of approaching dangers, of illness 
or physical disturbances. It reflects happiness and fear 
with equal unconcern and is quite frequently a whole- 
some companion of our consciences. Many a rash deed 
has been prevented by a look into the mirror and, like- 
wise, a mirror can be a cruel painter of remorse. 

The best way to be on friendly and happy terms 
with a mirror is to follow the best that is in us. It 
seems, frequently, that the mirror has a spirit that 
rejoices in the happiness of the thing it portrays. In 
reflecting inanimate things it is equally as lifeless as are 
the objects placed before it. But, somehow, it takes on 
added glory when the rays of a happy soul strike the 
sensitized layers of its silvery white. 


Page sixteen 


The 


STORY OF THE 
MIRROR 


——UMIVERSITY 8 


a j j 7 
j ts rN rat 


'y if oy (he F , i Gy 
i oe Nien wal ert 
tae | Sia are 
bia iirc | 
Bib ii 


i eee , 


or ea ey 8 a 
dee ue 
Ti aa TAEN 


Sie 


byt 
4 


HIE word “mirror” comes to us through 
s} the old French mirour, which, in tum, 
MH] traces its origin to the Latin word 


mirart, which means “to admire.” That 
is not what the Romans called it, however. They held 
to the word speculum, which, in turn, is taken from 
the Latin word specere, meaning “to look,” or “be- 
hold.” It is from this word that we derive the term 
‘speculum metal,” composed of an alloy of copper or 
tin and capable of taking a brilliant polish for the 
purpose of reflection. 

The mirrors of the ancients, principally of the 
Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, consisted usually of a 
thin metal disk which was either polished on one side 
or covered with a fine metallic film. Their use dated 
back to the earliest antiquity. We read in Pliny’s 
natural history that there existed in the ancient city of 
Sidon, in Phoenicia, frequently referred to in the Bible, 
a manufactory of “mirrors of glass,” and we learn from 
the few that have been found, that they were coated 
with tin, some with silver. 

As early as 400 years before Christ, hand mirrors 
were common among both the Greeks and Etruscans, 


Page nineteen 


the latter being the people preceding the Romans in 
Italy. The difference is largely in the ornamentation 
on the back. The early Greek mirrors contained 
figures of the gods, particularly Eros, corresponding to 
Cupid, the god of love. Hence, it is significant that 
on both sides of the mirror, particularly the hand 
mirror, mankind for ages has accustomed itself to look 
for the best, finest and most inspiring. 

The ruins of Pompeii have given up many mirrors 
of many kinds. Then, as now, the mirror was highly 
ornate. It seems that, in common with furniture, the 
early mirror was designed principally for people of 
taste, culture and a high sense of artistic appreciation. 
Exquisite figures, moulded or engraved upon the backs 
of mirrors, have been found in the ruins of the resi- 
dences of both Greeks and Romans. While Homer 
makes no mention of mirrors, they are frequently 
referred to in the Greek plays written subsequent to his 
time. Most of these were hand mirrors, but the 
younger Seneca, who was born three years before Jesus 
Christ, tells us in his ““Natural Questions” that some 
were large enough to reflect a person’s whole figure, 


Page twenty 


i olan Clea CD Phe 
y aa ig ees nae if it 


aH whee prin ihe 
pile ot ne Avda ad Mi sii 


tule vi 


A nel, A Bhai ae nh Py 


, ; " Ae) age OE La ii 
ith, oe rh ach aunl ivan yi hie ae ee 


j As ¥ he ano } iF ay, . ven Win ot HAN 
7 We .) Ww tj a pay! j yy prea he 
; ai; . Bi 4 pel hid iyo my BP an nen! AY ir a Stik | oa Onin ys i te ‘' 


of 
it a 


: “y a ee ik bie hel ve Ma lw Aus ; eh by one 
fe tai ie re Ait i¢ ‘viet " i Me pattie ht une? 


ya ey, 


Hs Sai ‘i h sw an ¥ mal i¥ sh i 47 coy ashi in fl Lt} h 
‘ art ih Nd ae , % Uh it 
ms Mone r 2 La Fd i a wy) vba ie ‘ih ini 7 eh b 
ae UVGL eRe eRe EL OLN) ety ht NRO ed ey | age a 
" gy! bie Mba) i iz 


tas ay ee sh St 


by ; 

ah’ 
Ny ' i ny a ty! 
“a? I , 4 if 


1} Ni 
ah - ot ; i 
ey t 
als y A hi 


he 


Pp ' 4 u ie 
ra ¢ hie addd # ii whites 
‘ 


7 a re * y iin i Y 


a\ 
ay uh ms 
iv} 


Tae PI 
: ae yi sata ty iu Cr ith om oy Pela SO, ‘ 


A, A ‘4 yan ye j 
Ki ay can nw jive ¥ Wat yh AS, | 
' y } i 


f 1 | | 
Pai ele owe s ri Whe shy He Eta 
a. j 


aa i adhe ist Ns hi Hh At 4 i mt ae i i ‘ mt i 
t igh | A; a 
wip’ ‘il " en hei i ck i Ruins iy 


J ny L e 
tf, ih ‘na ne 
ae 


a yiye 


— 
er ote a 


a a. 
= 


<_~ 


a 


os 


. 


gt gs Fetnereiahs 
ithe 2 


ete 


HART MIRROR PLATE COMPANY 
BUILDING AND OFFICE 


a ae ee ee ee ee 


al STAGE BYLINE h mA ha: 


SUS ERAS 


a i 


; 


CRE Res | i ae 
s INEM Is 
inetd ld 


as i fi a 
I 


SEAL 


; BRIN AHANHY 
so) pina 


; nen RUAN Ved ILIN PHIM ibe 


aca i sim A 


% oma EAN | 
<< : w\ He LT tt 


ee 


ae alin . 


er 
Ss 


Ererfrude Yautteuten — 


so 


ide er s. 
Ary! 


_ 
: 
EER 
3 


Pe mite, 
PMO MOEA 


tae 


S 


HART MIRROR PLATE COMPANY 
BUILDING AND OFFICE 


were in vogue early in the Sixteenth century. They 
were called “Bull’s-eyes,” 

Mirror making, for more than 200 years, was more 
or less a secret process. So strong became the mirror 
trust in Europe during the Sixteenth century, that it 
was not safe for anyone outside of the elect to venture 
into the business. Death, kidnaping and other forms 
of dire punishment awaited those who trespassed upon 
the sacred right of “mirror silvering.” For many years, 
the industry was confined to Venice, where, in 1564, 
the corporation was formed which spread terror to all 
who attempted to engage upon a competitive enterprise. 

But the demand increased, and, early in the Seven- 
teenth century, we find Italian workmen making mirrors 
in England. The Duke of Buckingham, about 1670, 
interested himself in a glass works at Lambeth, where 
“flint glass” was made for looking glasses. France had 
considerable difficulty in importing Venetian mirror 
workers, who, according to the Bishop of Beziers, had 
no urgent desire to be thrown into the Adriatic sea as 
a penalty for taking the secret of mirror making out of 
their own country. France persisted, however, and 


Page twenty-six 


after the industry was established, French mirrors soon 
excelled in quality those of Venice. With the intro- 
duction of plate glass in 1691, the art of mirroring 
received a new impulse and the use of mirrors became 
more general among all peoples in all walks of life. 


Page twenty-seven 


Nate 
5 aa 
Mt ray) ai | 


Le eae 


. : 2 , if / b De 
FASS CONES Gt a A . I wh % Bah: 
fy \ n P 4 
7%" \ , ’ ‘atl ‘s 
ot & ie 
y \ 
a 
- i ' 1 
7 ‘ + 
iy A y 
} , i i ¥ ' 
\ Lay \ j by 
; y \y Wide 
a 4 y ' " 
i j ' j 
1 yh 
) ' " ; y f 
‘] \ ' ’ ‘ 
- i 
‘ ; } 
if Vie 
i ' } if ‘ . , / of | | 
Laem ve J ’ r * t ‘ ' ‘ AY, 
ay aes f ‘ MARS ; ; 4) Hy 
mi } : : ] 1} UE RRR re roi if F 
i ie i! ayo } i ¢ A 4; Cy ree Pons A 
PA A ae cad bee DR AN mi Oe Vane a The asin ; | PAV 
oh sd eg f ‘ ‘ hee . Wy hi ai 
+, A era PViAC RES ; re Ae 
Nv a vuvensiny ran 
Bea cere i | AAV SS rneers Ege 
i : a 4 a = . ) | x ‘a ne i ode ‘i 
j AG: as | \ ne 7 Ne Ay , ; i ey iat il ‘ 2) x rd ORY es te 


MIRROR-MAKING 
PHILOSOPHY 


P LZ, é Ls 
ta ae 
\ SA al 
1 C 


" moe lo oy 


Cre itLE mission of a mirror is to reflect, truth- 
6 e . 

Re, fully and faithfully, that which comes 

yet 44a before it. To do that it must be as nearly 


] perfect as human skill can make it. 

For ages the making of the mirror has been shrouded 
in mystery. And not without cause. There is a mys 
tery in mirror making—the mystery which attaches 
itself to all the things made by man that require 
patience, exactness and skill. 

To explain in detail the process of mirror making 
would entail reciting in technical terms a formidable 
array of mechanical and routine performances, as would 
be necessary in telling the story of steel, furniture, or 
the making of shoes. All have a fundamental basis, a 
program, after the manner of speaking. This program 
changes according to the quality of the product. 
Likewise in the making of mirrors. Fundamentally we 
silver a piece of plate glass. Technically that process 
entails an endless amount of skill, treatment and care. 

All the elements of human application enter into 
mirror making. It calls to its aid the sciences of 
chemistry and engineering in their most approved 
and modern forms. It deals with temperatures and 


Page thirty-one 


atmospheric conditions, and the mirror must be made 
impervious to these. You can make a semblance of a 
mirror by pouring a liquid silver solution upon a piece 
of window glass, but that mirror will not endure. 
It will not be truthful nor will it stand the strain of 
the service required of it. 

The mirror bears a close relationship to the furniture 
on which it is used, in that it serves both artistic and 
utilitarian purposes. For infinitely less than the cost of 
a dressing table you can make something upon and in 
which to place the things it contains. Likewise with 
the mirror that is a part of it. The roughly silvered 
window glass may have thrilled the prehistoric woman, 
but it would add little to the comfort, enjoyment and 
cultural requirements of the woman of today. Relative 
quality, therefore, goes hand in hand in the companion- 
ship of mirrors and furniture. The best furniture 
demands and should have the best mirrors, as it de- 
mands and has the best design, the best material and 
the best workmanship. 

In the making of mirrors we deal with two outstand- 
ing factors. They are the glass on which the silvering 
is done and the process, the human effort, of making 


Page thirty-two 


the mirror. The glass reaches the mirror maker in all 
grades, conditions and sizes. In that respect the prob- 
lem of all mirror manufacturers is the same. After he 
has the glass the quality of the mirror becomes largely 
what the maker turns out. He can make a poor mirror 
with a good glass, or he can improve the glass and 
make a good mirror. 

There is no short-cut to fame, in the making of 
mirrors. The business functions under well established 
economic laws. It is governed by supply and demand 
both as to quality and quantity. Its success depends 
upon the excellence of the product, plus the most 
economical plan under which that excellence may be 
attained. If, in that plan, the mirror maker can add 
some detail to the quality, contribute some added 
advantage in the service rendered, if he can add to the 
brilliance and the length of the life of his mirrors, he 
is making mirrors plus. If he cannot do these things, 
either he or some one else must pay into the finished 
product what was omitted in its making. 

Modern mirror making differs but little from the 
established methods of the past. It consists of pre 
paring the glass for silvering, of removing blemishes and 


Page thirty-three 
NNN |} \ 


Sark 


Man 


imperfections, of sealing the backs and edges against 
contacts with moisture, dirt and foreign substances. 
This process is broken only by repeated inspections. 
Improved machinery has materially simplified mirror 
making, but the mirror is still and always must be a 
hand made product, because each mirror must receive 
the constant attention of the individual workman. 
At no stage of its making does it leave the scrutiny of 
the eye, or the touch of the hand. It is a work that 
does not lend itself to the bulk economies characteristic 
of the making of most modern products. 

The mirror maker is one of the last survivors of the 
old guild school. He must be fitted for his work by 
temperament as well as by desire. Mirror making 
requires infinite patience, a trained eye and a careful 
nature. The mirror maker cannot be rushed or nettled. 
He cannot cheat or hurry through his day’s work. 
His training usually begins with the boy, who is formed 
and moulded with almost the same accuracy that is 
necessary in the work itself. There still remains among 
good mirror makers that pride of performance which 
aligns and holds the industry among the arts. 

Admitting, then, that in mirror making there is no 


Page thirty-four 


special patent upon which one may have more claim 
than another; admitting that it is a well established 
industrial process open to human effort, what is the 
claim of the Hart Mirror Plate Company to the con- 
sideration of the trade? 

Obviously upon a full complement of the merits 
which enter into mirror making. For twenty-five years 
we have silvered mirrors with the closest attention to 
these homely, though fundamental principles. And 
with each year we have learned not only how to silver 
more but better mirrors. With each year we find that 
our product endures, that it gives satisfaction and 
service. With each year our business has grown a 
little larger and our friends and patrons more numerous. 
With each year we have added to the care, patience 
and thoroughness of our effort, but with no added cost 
to the consumer. We have no costly sales department. 
We have none of the glamors of atmosphere which 
often deceive the eye and sway the judgment of those 
who want their money’s worth in the ‘marts of trade, 
The Hart Mirror is in all respects a modern product of 
the conscientious “‘silverer’’ of the Righteenth century 
who knew how to do one ae wel | | Pee hl Ne 

a) Oc U = fo 


ae x Le 


att F = “= 


: ike 3 a 
} 


a c 2 Ae oie chitey for. ‘ is 


SPIRIT OF HELPFUL CO-OPERATION 


What most impresses the visitor to the Hart Mirror 
Plate Company plant is the spirit of enthusiasm and 
co-operation in evidence in every department. The 
whole establishment functions like a harmonious family. 
The reason for this splendid spirit is the long and close 
bond between the management and the employes. 
A skilled workman, who has been with the company 
for a quarter century, puts it this way: “I like to work 
here. So do all the others. We feel that our labors 
are appreciated. We know that the management has 
our interests at heart. We know that our jobs are 
secure, that we will have steady employment. We 
know that we are expected to do our best and that our 
best means a high standard for the product, with a 
steady demand for it, which means continuous employ- 
ment for us. Some of the men drift away from here 
for a time, but most of them are glad to come back, 
and when they come back they usually stay here. I am 
happy in my work, and I don’t want to hunt a job any- 
where else. It is a pleasure to do my best, because I 
know what I do counts in my favor as well as for the 
success of the business.” 


Page thirty-six 


Here is the story of the success of the Hart Mirror 
Plate Company. It is no mystery, it is not a secret, it 
is common sense applied to industry. The standard 
has been set high, and the standard is maintained. 
Only the best of materials are used, only the most 
skilled craftsmanship is utilized. In such a plant nothing 
but a high standard of product can be turned out. 
Buyers of mirrors long ago learned that when they 
purchase the Hart product they are getting the best. 
And Hart customers demand the best. 

Modern furniture, in the manufacture of which 
Grand Rapids excels, makes heavy demands for mirrors. 
As the furniture manufactured in the city is of the 
finest grade, so the demand is for mirrors of the superior 
quality. Thus it came about quite naturally that the 
Hart Mirror Plate Company should have been estab- 
lished in Grand Rapids twenty-five years ago. 


FOUNDED BY JOSEPH S. HART 


The business was founded by Joseph 8. Hart, whose 
memory is still cherished by thousands of his fellow 
citizens who learned to esteem him through years of 


close association and square dealing. Mr. Hart was a 


Page thirty-seven 


native of Michigan, having been born in Marshall on 
December 7, 1858. His first business experience was 
with a New York mirror house, in whose employ he 
began his commercial career at the early age of thirteen. 
He was only sixteen years of age when he was entrusted 
with matters of importance by the New York firm. 
On his tour in the quest of new business he came to 
Grand Rapids. He was at once impressed by the 
favorable possibilities of this market, and as his visits 
to Grand Rapids continued he was more and more cor 
vinced that a mirror plant in the Furniture City would 
prove an industrial success. 

Mr. Hart studied conditions during a number of 
years. On his numerous visits to Grand Rapids he had 
firmly established his own character for sterling probity, 
for unflagging energy and for progressiveness. He had 
earned the confidence of all with whom he came in 
contact either in business or socially. Finally, con- 
vinced that the time was ripe, he associated himself 
with two eastern friends, George G. Heye and H. H. 
Harrison, in the organization in 1899 of the Hart 
Mirror Plate Company. 


Page thirty-eight 


The first officers of the company were George G. 
Heye, President; H. H. Harrison, Vice President; 
Joseph S. Hart, Secretary-Treasurer and General Man- 
ager. From the beginning the burden of carrying the 
enterprise through to success rested upon Mr. Hart, 
and ably he bore this burden. Large of heart and 
sympathetic with all humanity, he was as high-minded 
in his relations with his employes as he was just and 
comprehending in his contact with all those with whom 
he dealt as buyer or seller. He built solidly and firmly. 
He was both conservative and progressive. Realizing 
that in the final analysis the high standard of its product 
establishes the credit and standing of any manufactur- 
ing establishment, he impressed upon all his employes 
the fact that only the best work of which they were 
capable would be acceptable. He singled. out the-most 
capable workmen. When he engaged the inexperienced ‘re. 
he was careful to put them through a course of training 


to fit them for the kind of work he demande ed. He 


knew the business. He knew what he Wanted. and he rel » } 


was able to impress his ideas u upon | all his employes. 


But he was not exacting without being’ appreciative. 


He made it worth while for rey iin aR to do their 


Sy 
| ea a 


= Seg 
‘Page thirty-nine 
HTT! ah Y 


SOV RT 1h 


best for him. He stood by them, as he expected them 
to stand by him. He made his factory a model in 
cleanliness, in healthful surroundings. The well-being 
of his employes was as dear to him as his own. 


A POLICY OF FAIR DEALING 


Men like to work for that kind of an employer. For 
him they will do their best, and nothing less than their 
best. And thus began the policy of fair dealing, of 
sympathy, of co-operation, which ever since has char- 
acterized the plant of the Hart Mirror Plate Company. 
Under these conditions, it is not surprising that there 
are still men in the factory who started with it when 
Mr. Hart established the business. It is not surprising 
that many others have been in the company’s employ 
for ten, fifteen, twenty years. It is not surprising that 
some who go away for a time return, and return with 
the resolve to stay. From the beginning the standard 
of workmanship has been the highest, and so it is today, 
and so it will continue to be. 

Mr. Hart’s policies were firmly established during 
the years which ensued before he passed away on 
April 11, 1916, and no changes have been made since. 


Page forty 


A few years before Mr. Hart’s death W. B. Banks, 
who has been with the company since it was estab- 
lished, was made an officer and succeeded Mr. Hart in 
the active management of the business. The present 
officers are: Mrs. Joseph S. Hart, President; Jacob 
Van Oss, Vice President, and W. B. Banks, Secretary, 
Treasurer and General Manager. 

In this year, 1925, the Hart Mirror Plate Company 
is celebrating its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary, as the first 
silvering was done in the plant in 1900. 


Page forty-one 


q 


Ni 1, ei He ey i 4 
AU me M q | i 
ny iM | i 


Senet 

ae . ) 
\ " : pe 1, 

Ny Ne 


a 


AY if ‘a ‘ B 

‘i i ay 

HY ri Pe) 
on i hie 


seni 

4 a 4 

RA yi 
‘ DA, SAO 
ih Leah hy aS, 


; PE Gth i hy RAY NUE 
’ nie On i af anh { % ae ny a Wat 
Pts ' i Bat SER Ney 
ahs aX ; ; “aes ie } ith 
, 4, Aan 


os ‘ ; 
i} Ba Put 
tea 


ret NA 
yar i ots if ne 
mS Me is ay 
j NV, i 


A. P. JOHNSON COMPANY 
GRAND RAPIDS 


; oa 7 
pd hy a pe 


